Vehicular cabin monitoring system

ABSTRACT

A vehicular cabin monitoring system includes a radar assembly disposed in a cabin of a vehicle and operable to capture radar data. The radar assembly is housed in an interior rearview mirror assembly of the vehicle and includes at least one radar transmit antenna that is operable to transmit radar waves and at least one radar receive antenna that is operable to receive radar waves. A control includes a data processor for processing radar data captured by the radar assembly. The control, via processing at the data processor of radar data captured by the radar assembly, detects movement of a body part of an occupant present in the cabin of the vehicle. The control, responsive to detecting movement of the body part of the occupant in the cabin of the vehicle, generates a control command associated with at least one operation of the vehicle.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 16/240,130, filed Jan. 4, 2019, now U.S. Pat. No. 11,167,771,which claims the filing benefits of U.S. provisional application Ser.No. 62/613,837, filed Jan. 5, 2018, which is hereby incorporated hereinby reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure relates generally to radar assemblies for motorvehicles and, more particularly, to a radar assembly with multifunctionsensing functionality.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This section provides background information related to the presentdisclosure which is not necessarily prior art.

Passengers can interact with vehicle controllers with a myriad of userinterface and sensing technologies in cabins of current vehicles. Theseuser interface and sensing technologies include switches and buttons,capacitive touch sensors, speech recognition, vision/cameras, andtouchscreens. Each of these technologies has developed based onspecialized detection abilities. For example, buttons and switches orcorresponding capacitive touch sensors can easily be utilized in a cabinof a vehicle to allow passengers to operate vehicle functions, such aswindow regulators, power side mirrors, infotainment systems, andheating, ventilation and air conditioning systems. Yet, numerous buttonsand switches or capacitive touch sensors commonly found on vehicles canadd weight to the vehicle and take up valuable space in the cabin.

While speech recognition systems are increasingly also used to allowpassengers of the vehicle to provide input to control operations of thevehicle, other sounds in the cabin, such as road noise and loud musiccan reduce the effectiveness of such systems. Furthermore, speechrecognition systems typically utilize at least one microphone or evencomplicated arrays of microphones that must be packaged and wired in thevehicle.

In general, such conventional technologies can be effective atrecognizing user intentions and commands in various ways; however, theirimplementation can often lead to complex systems with many necessaryparts and complicated control methodologies due to the need to processinputs from the various user interface and sensing systems. Thus, userinterface and sensing systems which are currently available could beimproved.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This section provides a general summary of the present disclosure and isnot a comprehensive disclosure of its full scope or all of its features,aspects and objectives.

Accordingly, it is an aspect of the present disclosure to provide aradar assembly with multifunction sensing functionality for a vehicle.The radar assembly includes at least one radar transmit antenna fortransmitting radar waves in a cabin of the vehicle and exterior areasoutside the cabin. The radar assembly also includes at least one radarreceive antenna for receiving the radar waves in the cabin of thevehicle after reflection from at least one of the exterior areas and thecabin and passengers in the vehicle in a plurality of hotspot zones. Atiming controller includes at least one processing control input and atleast one timing control output that is electrically coupled to the atleast one radar transmit antenna for generating a transmit output signalutilized for the transmission of the radar waves. The timing controlleralso includes at least one timing control input electrically coupled tothe at least one radar receive antenna for receiving a receive inputsignal corresponding to the radar waves received by the at least oneradar receive antenna. A memory unit is electrically coupled to thetiming controller for storing a plurality of stored parameters and datacorresponding to radar waves received by the at least one radar receiveantenna. A control or microcontroller is electrically coupled to theprocessing control input of the timing controller and storing a seriesof instructions and electrically coupled to a vehicle communication busfor communicating with a plurality of vehicle controllers. Themicrocontroller is configured to execute the series of instructions tooperate the timing controller. The microcontroller processes the datacorresponding to the radar waves received by the at least one radarreceive antenna to scan the cabin and exterior areas for detectingmotion and gestures made by the passenger in the plurality of hotspotzones.

According to another aspect of the disclosure, a system formultifunction sensing in a vehicle is also provided. The system includesa radar assembly with multifunction sensing functionality including atleast one radar transmit antenna for transmitting radar waves in a cabinof the vehicle and exterior areas outside the cabin. The radar assemblyalso includes at least one radar receive antenna for receiving the radarwaves in the cabin of the vehicle after reflection from at least one ofthe exterior areas and the cabin and passengers in the vehicle in aplurality of hotspot zones. A plurality of markers representing buttoncontrols are disposed in at least one of the cabin of the vehicle andthe exterior areas. The radar assembly includes a microcontrollerelectrically coupled to the at least one radar transmit antenna and theat least one radar receive antenna and storing a series of instructions.The microcontroller is in communication with a plurality of vehiclecontrollers and is configured to execute the series of instructions tooperate the at least one radar transmit antenna for the transmission ofthe radar waves. The microcontroller is also configured to recognize theplurality of markers and process data corresponding to the radar wavesreceived by the at least one radar receive antenna for detecting motionand gestures made by the passenger in the plurality of hotspot zones.The microcontroller is also configured to identify the motion andgestures made by the passenger adjacent to the plurality of markers.Additionally, the microcontroller is configured to correlate the motionand gestures made by the passenger to a plurality of marker operationsassociated with the plurality of markers. The microcontroller is alsoconfigured to communicate a plurality of marker control commandscorresponding to the plurality of marker operations to the plurality ofvehicle controllers in response to correlating the motion and gesturesmade by the passenger to the plurality of marker operations.

It is another aspect of the present disclosure to provide a method ofsensing user interactions using a radar assembly with multifunctionsensing functionality in a vehicle. The method includes the step ofoperating a timing controller using a microcontroller electricallycoupled to the timing controller. The next step of the method isgenerating a transmit output signal utilized for the transmission ofradar waves using at least one timing control output of the timingcontroller. Next, the method includes the step of transmitting radarwaves in a cabin of the vehicle and exterior areas outside the cabinusing at least one radar transmit antenna to scan the cabin and exteriorareas. The method proceeds with the step of receiving the radar waves inthe cabin of the vehicle after reflection from at least one of theexterior areas and the cabin and passengers in the vehicle in aplurality of hotspot zones using at least one radar receive antenna. Themethod continues by receiving a receive input signal corresponding tothe radar waves received by the at least one radar receive antenna usingat least one timing control input of the timing controller. The methodalso includes the step of storing a plurality of stored parameters anddata corresponding to radar waves received by the at least one radarreceive antenna using a memory unit electrically coupled to the timingcontroller. The method continues with the step of processing the datacorresponding to the radar waves received by the at least one radarreceive antenna using the microcontroller. Next, detecting motion andgestures made by the passenger in the plurality of hotspot zones usingthe microcontroller. The method then includes the step of communicatingwith a plurality of vehicle controllers in response to detecting themotion and gestures made by the passenger in the plurality of hotspotzones.

The system and radar assembly for multifunction sensing according to thepresent disclosure provides numerous benefits, which are especiallyattractive to the passenger of the vehicle. As radar technologyimproves, the ability to recognize precise gestures in higher resolutionallows for combining numerous interfaces into a single integrated unitor radar assembly to sense human interfacing requests.

These and other aspects and areas of applicability will become apparentfrom the description provided herein. The description and specificexamples in this summary are intended for purpose of illustration onlyand are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other advantages of the present disclosure will be readily appreciated,as the same becomes better understood by reference to the followingdetailed description when considered in connection with the accompanyingdrawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an example motor vehicle equipped with aradar assembly according to aspects of the disclosure;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the radar assembly of FIG. 1according to aspects of the disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a top view of the vehicle of FIG. 1 illustrating radar wavesfrom the radar assembly of FIG. 2 according to aspects of thedisclosure;

FIG. 4 is a partial cross-section of the vehicle of FIG. 1 illustratinga plurality of hotspot zones in a cabin of the vehicle and outside thecabin according to aspects of the disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a system including the radar assembly ofFIG. 2 and a plurality of markers according to aspects of thedisclosure;

FIGS. 6A and 6B illustrate a partial enlarged view of a portion of thecabin of a conventional vehicle and the vehicle according to aspects ofthe disclosure, respectively;

FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate a partial view of the cabin of a conventionalvehicle and the vehicle according to aspects of the disclosure,respectively;

FIG. 8 illustrates the cabin of the vehicle including a touchscreenaccording to aspects of the disclosure;

FIG. 9 illustrates that the radar assembly can replace numerous otherconventional sensing technologies according to aspects of thedisclosure;

FIGS. 10, 11, and 12A-1 to 12B-2 are flow charts illustrating steps of amethod of sensing user interactions using a radar assembly withmultifunction sensing functionality according to aspects of thedisclosure;

FIG. 13 illustrates an interior rearview mirror and a screen thatcalibrates using the interior rearview mirror according to aspects ofthe disclosure;

FIGS. 14A-14C illustrates radar focusing lenses and radar beam steeringwith and without lenses according to aspects of the disclosure; and

FIG. 15 illustrates an interior rearview mirror that directs radar atdifferent zones according to aspects of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In the following description, details are set forth to provide anunderstanding of the present disclosure. In some instances, certaincircuits, structures and techniques have not been described or shown indetail in order not to obscure the disclosure.

In general, a radar assembly with multifunction sensing functionalityand a corresponding system constructed in accordance with the teachingsof the present disclosure will now be disclosed. A method of sensinguser interactions using the radar assembly with multifunction sensingfunctionality constructed in accordance with the teachings of thepresent disclosure will also be disclosed. The example embodiments areprovided so that this disclosure will be thorough, and will fully conveythe scope to those who are skilled in the art. Numerous specific detailsare set forth such as examples of specific components, devices, andmethods, to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of thepresent disclosure. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art thatspecific details need not be employed, that example embodiments may beembodied in many different forms and that neither should be construed tolimit the scope of the disclosure. In some example embodiments,well-known processes, well-known device structures, and well-knowntechnologies are described in detail.

Referring initially to FIG. 1, an example motor vehicle 20 is shown toinclude an exterior 22 and an interior defining a cabin 24. The vehicle20 includes a windshield 26 and an interior rearview mirror assembly 28attached thereto. The vehicle 20 can additionally include side mirrors30 mounted to the exterior 22 on side doors 32 of the vehicle 20. Thecabin 24 of the vehicle 20 can define numerous surfaces for userinterface controls (e.g., window controls on an arm rest).

The vehicle 20 includes a system 34 for multifunction sensing. Thesystem 34 includes a radar assembly 28 with multifunction sensingfunctionality. According to an aspect, the radar assembly 28 can bedisposed at or in the rearview mirror assembly 28 of the vehicle 20, asbest shown in FIG. 2 (such as in the mirror head of the mirror assemblyand behind the mirror reflective element, such as a prismatic mirrorreflective element or an electro-optic or electrochromic mirrorreflective element, and encased by the plastic mirror casing). In otherwords, the radar assembly 28 is a combination rearview mirror integratedwith radar sensing capability. By integrating the radar sensing with therear view mirror, the radar assembly 28 can be concealed within the rearview mirror unit, while also providing a pre-existing mounting point ata vantage point within the cabin 24 to allow for radar sensing forscanning and mapping the cabin 24, as well as zones exterior 22 to thecabin 24, as best shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. However, it should beunderstood that the radar assembly 28 could be separate from therearview mirror assembly 28.

As shown in FIG. 5, the radar assembly 28 includes at least one radartransmit antenna 36 for transmitting radar waves 38 in the cabin 24 ofthe vehicle 20 and at exterior areas 40 outside the cabin 24 (e.g., nearthe side mirrors 30 or at the rear of the vehicle 20). The radarassembly 28 also includes at least one radar receive antenna 42 forreceiving the radar waves 38 in the cabin 24 of the vehicle 20 afterreflection from at least one of the exterior areas 40 and from in thecabin 24 and passengers in the vehicle 20 in a plurality of hotspotzones 44.

The at least one radar transmit antenna 36 can be configured to emitcontinuously modulated radiation, ultra-wideband radiation, orsub-millimeter-frequency radiation (e.g., frequencies forming part ofthe ISM frequency band about 24 GHz). The continuously emitted radiationby the at least one radar transmit antenna 36, or continuous wave (CW)radar, known in the art to use Doppler radar, is employed in the radarassembly and system with multifunction sensing functionality. Themodulated emitted radiation by the at least one radar transmit antenna36, or frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) radar, also known inthe art to use Doppler radar, may also be employed in the radar assemblyand system with multifunction sensing functionality. Also, the systemmay be configured for use of pulsed based time-of-flight radartechniques.

The radar assembly 28 includes a timing controller 46 having at leastone processing control input 48 and at least one timing control output50 that is electrically coupled to the at least one radar transmitantenna 36 for generating a transmit output signal 52 utilized for thetransmission of the radar waves 38. The timing controller 46 alsoincludes at least one timing control input 54 electrically coupled tothe at least one radar receive antenna 42 for receiving a receive inputsignal 56 corresponding to the radar waves 38 received by the at leastone radar receive antenna 42. A memory unit 58 is electrically coupledto the timing controller 46 for storing a plurality of stored parametersand data corresponding to radar waves 38 received by the at least oneradar receive antenna 42.

The radar assembly 28 also includes a transmit radio frequency amplifier60 electrically coupled to the at least one radar transmit antenna 36for receiving and amplifying the transmit output signal 52 for the atleast one radar transmit antenna 36. Similarly, a receive radiofrequency mixer and amplifier 64 is electrically coupled to the at leastone radar receive antenna 42 for receiving and amplifying the radarwaves 38 reflected from the at least one of the exterior areas 40 andthe cabin 24 and passengers in the vehicle 20. The receive radiofrequency mixer and amplifier 64 outputs the receive input signal 56corresponding to the radar waves 38 received by the at least one radarreceive antenna 42. Additionally, the transmit radio frequency amplifier60 is electrically coupled to the receive radio frequency mixer andamplifier 64 for outputting a mixer output 68 to the receive radiofrequency mixer and amplifier 64.

In addition, the radar assembly 28 also includes a transceiver chipset72 including a transceiver input 74 coupled to the timing controller 46and a plurality of transceiver outputs 70 electrically coupled to thetransmit radio frequency amplifier 60 and the receive radio frequencymixer and amplifier 64. The transceiver chipset 72 transmits thetransmit output signal 52 to the transmit radio frequency amplifier 60and controls the transmit radio frequency amplifier 60 and the receiveradio frequency mixer and amplifier 64.

Because the timing controller 46 operates with digital signals, theradar assembly 28 also includes a digital to analog converter 78electrically coupled to the at least one timing control output 50 and tothe transceiver input 74 for converting the transmit output signal 52from the timing controller 46 to an analog transmit output signal 52. Ananalog to digital converter 80 is electrically coupled to the at leastone timing control input 54 and to the receive radio frequency mixer andamplifier 64 for converting the analog received radar signal 76 to thereceive input signal 56.

The radar assembly 28 includes a control or microcontroller 82electrically coupled to the processing control input 48 of the timingcontroller 46 and storing a series of instructions and electricallycoupled to a vehicle communication bus 84 (e.g., controller area networkor I2C) for communicating with a plurality of vehicle controllers (notshown). The microcontroller 82 is configured to execute the series ofinstructions to operate the timing controller 46. The microcontroller 82processes the data corresponding to the radar waves 38 received by theat least one radar receive antenna 42 to scan the cabin 24 and exteriorareas 40 for detecting motion and gestures made by the passenger in theplurality of hotspot zones 44. For example, the microcontroller 82 canexecute instructions to perform signal processing calculations on thereceived reflection and transmitted radiation signals (i.e., mixedsignals) to implement the various detection techniques (e.g., CW Radar,FMCW Radar, time of flight, Doppler) to detect motion made by anoccupant in the cabin of the vehicle. The microcontroller may thendetermine whether the detected motion matches a select gesture from aset of gestures. That is, the microcontroller 82 may compare thedetected motion against stored data representing any number of gestures(i.e., a database of gesture data). When the microcontroller 82successfully matches the detected motion with data representing agesture, the microcontroller 82 may then determine that the occupant ofthe vehicle made the matched gesture. The database may be stored innon-volatile memory accessible by the microcontroller 82 and may includeany number of gestures. The microcontroller 82 may use a threshold todetermine if the detected motion matches a stored gesture. That is, insome examples, the detected motion must satisfy the threshold criteria(i.e., similarity to the stored gesture) before the microcontrollersuccessfully matches the detected motion to the stored gesture. Thus,the radar assembly 28 can detect different gestures (i.e., handmovements) to operate different controls of the vehicle 20.Pre-established gesture zones can be mapped so hand gestures are onlyrecognized when the hand 21 enters these regions and/or the system 34can track the hands 21 within the cabin 24 (FIG. 4). Also, since radarcan penetrate non-metallic materials, it can recognize gestures at theexterior 22 of the vehicle 20, for example adjacent to an exterior 22surface of the passenger window, or even at the rear of the vehicle 20(FIG. 3).

The at least one radar transmit antenna 36 can be configured to emit anddetect continuous wave (CW) radar with the radar assembly and systemwith multifunction sensing functionality illustratively including oneradar transmit antenna 36 and one radar receive antenna 42. With such aconfiguration, the radar assembly and system with multifunction sensingfunctionality is operable to detect a speed/velocity of the object/user21 using the Doppler Radar principles (i.e., processing by a signalprocessor such as the microcontroller 82 of the received reflected CWradar signal to determine frequency shifts of an emitted continuous waveindicative of the speed of the object or user or hand 21). The at leastone radar transmit antenna 36 can be also configured to emit frequencymodulated continuous wave (FMCW) radar, with the radar assembly andsystem with multifunction sensing functionality illustratively includingone radar transmit antenna 36 and one radar receive antenna 42 inaccordance with another embodiment. With such a configuration, the radarassembly and system with multifunction sensing functionality is operableto detect a gesture/motion of the object/user 21 using the FrequencyModulated Radar techniques (i.e., processing by a signal processor suchas the microcontroller 82 of the reflected FMCW radar signal todetermine frequency shifts indicative of the speed (Doppler frequency)and distance (beat frequency) of the object or user or hand 21).Alternatively, the radar assembly and system with multifunction sensingfunctionality configured for FMCW radar can be configured to include atleast one radar receive antenna 42 forming an antenna array fordetermining angle information of the reflected radar waves 38. Also,multiple radar transmit antenna 36 may be provided.

The system 34 can also include a plurality of markers 86 (FIGS. 4, 5,and 6B) representing button controls that are disposed in at least oneof the cabin 24 of the vehicle 20 and the exterior areas 40. Theplurality of markers 86 may, for example, be constructed with radarabsorption properties having certain radar scattering or reflectivityproperties as compared to the material adjacent to the marker, such as aplastic arm rest 23 or headrest 25 or console 27, or a metal sheet panelforming part of a vehicle door, to make the detection of the motion andgestures made by the passenger adjacent the plurality of markers 86 moreapparent to the microcontroller 82 (i.e., to help ensure 21 that thereflectivity of the background does not overpower the reflectivity ofthe hand 21 thereby rendering the hand 21 undetectable). So, themicrocontroller 82 of the radar assembly 28 can be programmed torecognize certain zones that represent button controls. For example, thelock/unlock buttons and power window controls normally located on a doorarm rest panel 23 (FIG. 6A) can be replaced with a sticker, or othermarker 86 (FIG. 6B) which is recognized by the system 34 as being one ofthe plurality of hotspot zones 44 correlated with a vehicle 20 function.A touch of the marker 86, or hover above the zone by a user or passengercan be recognized by the system 34 as representing a button push, suchas a window open command. When the radar assembly and system isconfigured to detect distance (e.g., when configured using FMCW radardetection techniques) to and within the hotspot zones 44 (e.g.,distances and angles representing the limits of the hotspot zones 44,such as d1, d2, d3, d4, d5, d6 and Θ (theta) illustratively shown inFIG. 3 and FIG. 4) from the radar assembly 28, a baseline distance canbe pre-established by the microcontroller 82 and stored in memory 58(e.g., a distance without a hand 21 present in the hotspot zone 44). Forexample, a natural vehicle background can be used to establish abaseline reference distance, such as the armrest 23, a head rest 25, acenter console 27, or other interior vehicle surfaces. When a hand 21 orfinger is moved into the hotspot zone 44, the microcontroller 82 canregister a change in the distance measurement compared to the baselinereference distance indicative of an intent to by the user to initiate acommand represented by the hotspot zone 44. For example, a detecteddistance change of 10 mm closer than the baseline reference distance canindicate that a finger has been placed on the marker 86 representing abutton push. If a hand 21 is moved over the hotspot zone 44 but notwithin it, for example a hand 21 is moved at 300 mm above the marker 86,the microcontroller 82 can register a change in the distance measurementcompared to the baseline reference distance, but since it is above athreshold distance defining the hotspot zone 44, the microcontroller 82will not register the motion as indicative of an intent to by the userto initiate a command represented by the hotspot zone 44, therebyavoiding false detections. The radar assembly and system can also beconfigured to employ motion only based detection (i.e., detection amotion into the hotspot zone 44 and a motion out of the hotspot zone 44for example) using Radar Doppler techniques, and measure the timebetween such motions to determine the intent to activate a commandrepresented by the hotspot zone 44. In another embodiment, both motionand distance can be utilized to determine activation intents withinpredefined hotspot zones 44. As a result, the physical button (FIG. 6A),and wiring thereto (FIG. 7A) can be eliminated and the cabin 24complexity and aesthetics (FIG. 7B) can advantageously be enhanced.Virtual buttons (i.e., the plurality of markers 86) can also bepositioned at the exterior 22 of the vehicle 20, for example on the topof the side door 32 panel for access control, of even on the back of thetrunk to signal a trunk open command.

Consequently, the microcontroller 82 is further configured to identifythe plurality of hotspot zones 44 (e.g., areas around each of theplurality of markers 86) and identify the plurality of markers 86. Sincethe radar assembly 28 can be configured to detect radar signalscontaining information about distance, angle and/or velocity of the hand21, multiple hotspot zones 44 (e.g., volumes) at different locations canbe pre-established, as illustrated in FIG. 4, where each hotspot zone 44can be correlated to a different vehicle function. The microcontroller82 is also configured to identify the motion and gestures made by thepassenger adjacent the plurality of markers 86 and correlate the motionand gestures made by the passenger to a plurality of marker operationsassociated with the plurality of markers 86. For example, the system candetermine that the motion or gesture is at a particular marker and cancorrelate that determined motion or gesture with the marker operationassociated with that marker. That is, each gesture performed at aparticular marker may be associated with one or more correspondingmarker operations (i.e., operations to accomplish an action or taskassociated with the gesture). The microcontroller 82 can be configuredto communicate one or more of a plurality of marker control commandscorresponding to the respective or particular one of the plurality ofmarker operations to one or more of the plurality of vehicle controllersin response to correlating the motion and gestures made by the passengerto the particular or respective marker operation of the plurality ofmarker operations. The plurality of marker operations can includelocking and unlocking and opening a window of the vehicle 20 and closingthe window of the vehicle 20 and starting an engine of the vehicle 20and opening a gas tank of the vehicle 20. However, it should beunderstood that the plurality of marker operations can include variousother functions of the vehicle 20.

As best shown in FIG. 8, the cabin 24 may also include at least onetouchscreen 88 that defines a plurality of regions (i.e., areas of thetouchscreen 88). Thus, the area of around the touchscreen 88 can be oneof the plurality of hotspot zones 44 and the microcontroller 82 canfurther be configured to identify the motion and gestures made by thepassenger adjacent to the at least one touchscreen 88. Themicrocontroller 82 can correlate the motion and gestures made by thepassenger to a plurality of touchscreen operations associated with theplurality of regions of the touchscreen 88. The microcontroller 82 canthen communicate a plurality of touchscreen control commandscorresponding to the plurality of touchscreen operations to theplurality of vehicle controllers in response to correlating the motionand gestures made by the passenger to the plurality of touchscreenoperations. Much like the marker operations, the plurality oftouchscreen operations can include increasing volume and changing achannel (e.g., a radio station of a head unit), for example; however,others are contemplated. As a result, the touchscreen 88 can even bereplaced with a normal screen (i.e., a display without touchcapability), since the system 34 can correlate objects on the screen(i.e., the plurality of regions of the touchscreen 88) and a one of theplurality of hotspot zones 44 can be located where a passenger or user'sfinger can touch or hover.

The plurality of hotspot zones 44 can include a facial hotspot zone 44(i.e., near a face of the passenger). As a result, the microcontroller82 can further be configured to identify the face of the passenger andidentify a plurality of facial features of the face of the passenger andmotion and gestures of the plurality of facial features made by thepassenger in the facial hotspot zone 44. As with the plurality of markerand touchscreen operations, the microcontroller 82 can be configured tocorrelate the motion and gestures of the plurality of facial featuresmade by the passenger to a plurality of voice operations associated withthe motion and gestures of the plurality of facial features. Themicrocontroller 82 can also communicate a plurality of voice controlcommands corresponding to the plurality of voice operations to theplurality of vehicle controllers in response to correlating the motionand gestures of the plurality of facial features made by the passengerto the plurality of voice operations. Therefore, conventional systems 34for voice recognition can be replaced with gesture recognition of facialfeatures as a result of the higher resolution provided by the radarassembly 28 disclosed herein. As a result, voice commands can berecognized despite road noise, loud music, etc. by mouthing thecommands. The plurality of voice operations may, for example, includelocking and unlocking and opening a window of the vehicle 20 and closingthe window of the vehicle 20 and starting an engine of the vehicle 20and opening a gas tank of the vehicle 20 and increasing radio volume andchanging a channel. Nevertheless, it should be understood that otheroperations are possible. Consequently, the radar assembly 28 can replacenumerous other conventional sensing technologies as shown in FIG. 9.

Thus, the system can detect a motion of an occupant in the vehicle at ornear a target zone where a gesture is likely to occur. The systemdetermines whether or not the detected motion corresponds to aparticular gesture, such as via comparing the detected motion to storedgestures that are associated with the target zone (with each storedgesture associated with a particular control operation for controlling arespective accessory or feature or function). Responsive to determiningthat the detected motion corresponds to a particular gesture, with thatparticular gesture correlated with or associated with a particularoperation or function, the system generates an output associated withthe determined particular gesture, such as a control output to controlan accessory of the vehicle in accordance with the particular gestureand associated operation or function.

As best shown in FIGS. 10, 11, and 12A-1 to 12B-2, a method of sensinguser interactions using the radar assembly 28 with multifunction sensingfunctionality in the vehicle 20 is also provided. The method includesthe step of 100 operating a timing controller 46 using a microcontroller82 electrically coupled to the timing controller 46. The next step ofthe method is 102 generating a transmit output signal 52 utilized forthe transmission of radar waves 38 using at least one timing controloutput 50 of the timing controller 46.

Next, the method includes the step of 104 transmitting radar waves 38 ina cabin 24 of the vehicle 20 and exterior areas 40 outside the cabin 24using at least one radar transmit antenna 36 to scan the cabin 24 andexterior areas 40. Specifically, the method can include the step of 106converting the transmit output signal 52 from the timing controller 46to an analog version of the transmit output signal 52 using a digital toanalog converter 78 electrically coupled to the at least one timingcontrol output 50 and to the transceiver input 74. Next, 108 controllingthe transmit radio frequency amplifier 60 and the receive radiofrequency mixer and amplifier 64 using the transceiver chipset 72. Themethod can also include 110 transmitting the transmit output signal 52to the transmit radio frequency amplifier 60 using a transceiver chipset72 coupled to the timing controller 46. The method can then include thestep of 112 receiving and amplifying the transmit output signal 52 forthe at least one radar transmit antenna 36 using a transmit radiofrequency amplifier 60 electrically coupled to the at least one radartransmit antenna 36.

The method proceeds with the step of 114 receiving the radar waves 38 inthe cabin 24 of the vehicle 20 after reflection from at least one of theexterior areas 40 and from in the cabin 24 and from passengers in thevehicle 20 at a plurality of hotspot zones 44 using at least one radarreceive antenna 42. The method continues by 116 receiving a receiveinput signal 56 corresponding to the radar waves 38 received by the atleast one radar receive antenna 42 using at least one timing controlinput 54 of the timing controller 46. In more detail, the method canalso include the step of 118 receiving and amplifying the radar waves 38reflected from the at least one of the exterior areas 40 and the cabin24 and passengers in the vehicle 20 using a receive radio frequencymixer and amplifier 64 electrically coupled to the at least one radarreceive antenna 42. The method can also continue by 120 outputting thereceive input signal 56 corresponding to the radar waves 38 received bythe at least one radar receive antenna 42 using the using a receiveradio frequency mixer and amplifier 64. The method additionally cancontinue with the step of 122 converting the analog received radarsignal 76 to the receive input signal 56 using an analog to digitalconverter 80 electrically coupled to the at least one timing controlinput 54 and to the receive radio frequency mixer and amplifier 64. Themethod can further include the step of 124 outputting a mixer output 68to the receive radio frequency mixer and amplifier 64 using the transmitradio frequency amplifier 60. The method proceeds with the step of 126storing a plurality of stored parameters and data corresponding to radarwaves 38 received by the at least one radar receive antenna 42 using amemory unit 58 electrically coupled to the timing controller 46. Thestep of 126 storing a plurality of stored parameters and datacorresponding to radar waves 38 received by the at least one radarreceive antenna 42 using a memory unit 58 can include storing at leastone of a distance and angle from the at least one radar receive antenna42 to a hotspot zone 44. The step of 126 storing a plurality of storedparameters and data corresponding to radar waves 38 received by the atleast one radar receive antenna 42 using a memory unit 58 can furtherinclude storing at least one of a distance and angle from the at leastone radar receive antenna 42 to an interior vehicle surface representinga distal limit of a hotspot zone 44. The step of 126 storing a pluralityof stored parameters and data corresponding to radar waves 38 receivedby the at least one radar receive antenna 42 using a memory unit 58 canfurther include storing a distance from the at least one radar receiveantenna 42 to a baseline reference distance representing a distal limitof a hotspot zone 44. The step of 126 storing a plurality of storedparameters and data corresponding to radar waves 38 received by the atleast one radar receive antenna 42 using a memory unit 58 can includestoring a baseline radar signature of the interior of the vehicle cabin24 without any passengers or objects to establish a baseline radarreference map.

The method continues with the step of 128 processing the datacorresponding to the radar waves 38 received by the at least one radarreceive antenna 42 using the microcontroller 82. The step of 128processing the data corresponding to the radar waves 38 received by theat least one radar receive antenna 42 using the microcontroller 82 caninclude detecting a change in distance between the baseline referencedistance and an object, such as a hand 21 or finger, in the hotspot zone44. The step of 128 processing the data corresponding to the radar waves38 received by the at least one radar receive antenna 42 using themicrocontroller 82 can include detecting a change in the baseline radarsignature of the cabin 24, and more particularly detecting a change inthe baseline radar signature of the hotspot zone 44. Next, 130 detectingmotion and gestures made by the passenger in the plurality of hotspotzones 44 using the microcontroller 82. The method then includes the stepof 132 communicating with a plurality of vehicle controllers in responseto detecting the motion and gestures made by the passenger in theplurality of hotspot zones 44.

As indicated above, the system 34 can include the plurality of markers86. So, the method can include 134 identifying the plurality of hotspotzones 44 using the microcontroller 82. Next, 136 identifying a pluralityof markers 86 representing button controls or user inputs or useractuatable input devices disposed in at least one of the cabin 24 of thevehicle 20 and the exterior areas 40 using the microcontroller 82. Themethod can continue with the step of 138 identifying the motion andgestures made by the passenger adjacent the plurality of markers 86using the microcontroller 82. The method can also include the step of140 correlating the motion and gestures made by the passenger to aplurality of marker operations associated with the plurality of markers86 using the microcontroller 82. The method can continue by 142communicating a plurality of marker control commands corresponding tothe plurality of marker operations to the plurality of vehiclecontrollers in response to correlating the motion and gestures made bythe passenger to the plurality of marker operations using themicrocontroller 82.

Since the system 34 can include at least one touchscreen 88, the methodcan include the steps of 144 identifying the motion and gestures made bythe passenger adjacent to at least one touchscreen 88 defining aplurality of regions using the microcontroller 82 and 146 correlatingthe motion and gestures made by the passenger to a plurality oftouchscreen operations associated with the plurality of regions of thetouchscreen 88 using the microcontroller 82. The method can then includethe step of 148 communicating a plurality of touchscreen controlcommands corresponding to the plurality of touchscreen operations to theplurality of vehicle controllers in response to correlating the motionand gestures made by the passenger to the plurality of touchscreenoperations using the microcontroller 82.

Furthermore, the method may include the step of 150 identifying a faceof the passenger in a facial hotspot zone 44 using the microcontroller82. Next, 152 identifying a plurality of facial features of the face ofthe passenger and motion and gestures of the plurality of facialfeatures made by the passenger in the facial hotspot zone 44 using themicrocontroller 82. The method then proceeds with the step of 154correlating the motion and gestures of the plurality of facial featuresmade by the passenger to a plurality of voice operations associated withthe motion and gestures of the plurality of facial features using themicrocontroller 82. Then, the method can include the step of 156communicating a plurality of voice control commands corresponding to theplurality of voice operations to the plurality of vehicle controllers inresponse to correlating the motion and gestures of the plurality offacial features made by the passenger to the plurality of voiceoperations using the microcontroller 82.

Referring now to FIG. 13, in some examples, a screen located below theinterior rearview mirror assembly 28 (e.g., touchscreen 88) is tagged ormarked in a similar manner as the other markers for calibration with theradar system in the mirror 28 to compensate for when the driver adjuststhe mirror's orientation. That is, the tags or marks located on orwithin the screen 88 allow the controller to determine the currentorientation of the rearview mirror 28. In response to determining theorientation of the rearview mirror 28, the controller may adjustprocessing of both the transmitted and received radar signals (tocompensate for or to accommodate a change in the orientation of therearview mirror 28). The controller may also or otherwise accommodate achange in the orientation of the rearview mirror by adjusting theposition of hotspot zones 44 and/or by adjusting the display of thescreen (so that the displayed inputs are at different locations at thescreen depending on the adjustment and orientation of the mirror). Thesystem may include a controller that detects gesture in the area infront of the screen and updates the screen's display accordingly (basedon the orientation of the rearview mirror 28). Properly calibrating theradar unit and mirror position relative to the screen (or calibratingthe screen relative to the radar unit and mirror position) ensures thatthe user's actions correspond to a display on the screen. For example,an image of a rotatable knob may be virtually rotated by a user making arotating gesture in front of the displayed knob. The system andcontroller can detect and identify such gestures irrespective of amirror adjustment that may be made by a driver of the vehicle to obtainthe desired rearward field of view at the mirror reflective element.

Referring now to FIGS. 14A-14C, different radar lenses, for examplelenses made of plastic, may be tuned for known detection zones. The lensmay be curved (FIG. 14A) or stepped (FIG. 14B) in the vertical andhorizontal directions depending on where the detection zone is so thefield of view is increased. In some examples, no lens is provided (FIG.14C) and instead radar beam steering is used to focus the radar wavestoward or at a known detection zone. FIG. 15 depicts the rearview mirror28 using radar lenses (such as lenses of the types shown, for example,in FIGS. 14A-14C) to focus TX and/or RX signals directed at differentzones. For example, the radar signals may be directed at hotspot zonesor at the touchscreen 88. The radar signals may detect the mouth of apassenger. The rearview mirror 28 may detect motion adjacent a screen(e.g., the touchscreen 88) and change the screen in response to thesensed motion.

Clearly, changes may be made to what is described and illustrated hereinwithout departing from the scope defined in the accompanying claims. Thesystem and radar assembly may be operable for any kind of vehicleoperation or user input within the motor vehicle, for example andadvantageously improves upon conventional sensing solutions.

The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided forpurposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to beexhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements or featuresof a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particularembodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be usedin a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described.The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to beregarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such modificationsare intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure. Thoseskilled in the art will recognize that concepts disclosed in associationwith the example user-activated, non-contact power closure member systemcan likewise be implemented into many other systems to control one ormore operations and/or functions.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularexample embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As usedherein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” may be intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “including,” and“having,” are inclusive and therefore specify the presence of statedfeatures, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, butdo not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features,integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groupsthereof. The method steps, processes, and operations described hereinare not to be construed as necessarily requiring their performance inthe particular order discussed or illustrated, unless specificallyidentified as an order of performance. It is also to be understood thatadditional or alternative steps may be employed.

When an element or layer is referred to as being “on,” “engaged to,”“connected to,” or “coupled to” another element or layer, it may bedirectly on, engaged, connected or coupled to the other element orlayer, or intervening elements or layers may be present. In contrast,when an element is referred to as being “directly on,” “directly engagedto,” “directly connected to,” or “directly coupled to” another elementor layer, there may be no intervening elements or layers present. Otherwords used to describe the relationship between elements should beinterpreted in a like fashion (e.g., “between” versus “directlybetween,” “adjacent” versus “directly adjacent,” etc.). As used herein,the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more ofthe associated listed items.

Although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein todescribe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections,these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should notbe limited by these terms. These terms may be only used to distinguishone element, component, region, layer or section from another region,layer or section. Terms such as “first,” “second,” and other numericalterms when used herein do not imply a sequence or order unless clearlyindicated by the context. Thus, a first element, component, region,layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element,component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachingsof the example embodiments.

Spatially relative terms, such as “inner,” “outer,” “beneath,” “below,”“lower,” “above,” “upper,” “top”, “bottom”, and the like, may be usedherein for ease of description to describe one element's or feature'srelationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in thefigures. Spatially relative terms may be intended to encompass differentorientations of the device in use or operation in addition to theorientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in thefigures is turned over, elements described as “below” or “beneath” otherelements or features would then be oriented “above” the other elementsor features. Thus, the example term “below” can encompass both anorientation of above and below. The device may be otherwise oriented(rotated degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relativedescriptions used herein interpreted accordingly.

1. A vehicular cabin monitoring system, the vehicular cabin monitoringsystem comprising: a radar assembly disposed in a cabin of a vehicleequipped with the vehicular cabin monitoring system, the radar assemblyoperable to capture radar data; wherein the radar assembly is housed atan interior rearview mirror assembly of the vehicle; wherein the radarassembly comprises at least one radar transmit antenna that is operableto transmit radar waves; wherein the radar assembly comprises at leastone radar receive antenna that is operable to receive radar waves; acontrol comprising a data processor for processing radar data capturedby the radar assembly; wherein the control, via processing at the dataprocessor of radar data captured by the radar assembly, detects movementof a body part of an occupant present in the cabin of the vehicle; andwherein the control, responsive to detecting movement of the body partof the occupant in the cabin of the vehicle, generates a control commandassociated with at least one operation of the vehicle.
 2. The vehicularcabin monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the radar assembly is housedin the interior rearview mirror assembly of the vehicle.
 3. Thevehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 2, wherein the radar assemblyis housed in a mirror head of the interior rearview mirror assembly ofthe vehicle.
 4. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 3,wherein the radar assembly is disposed behind a mirror reflectiveelement of the mirror head of the interior rearview mirror assembly ofthe vehicle.
 5. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 2,wherein the control, responsive to processing at the data processor ofradar data captured by the radar assembly, determines an orientation ofthe interior rearview mirror assembly relative to an interior portion ofthe cabin of the vehicle.
 6. The vehicular cabin monitoring system ofclaim 5, wherein the control calibrates the vehicular cabin monitoringsystem to accommodate the determined orientation of the interiorrearview mirror assembly relative to the interior portion of the cabinof the vehicle.
 7. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 5,wherein the vehicular cabin monitoring system determines a location of amarker relative to the interior rearview mirror assembly, and whereinthe control determines the orientation of the interior rearview mirrorassembly based on the determined location of the marker relative to theinterior rearview mirror assembly.
 8. The vehicular cabin monitoringsystem of claim 7, wherein the control calibrates the vehicular cabinmonitoring system to accommodate the determined orientation of theinterior rearview mirror assembly relative to the marker.
 9. Thevehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 8, wherein the marker isdisposed at a touch screen in the cabin of the vehicle, and wherein thecontrol calibrates the vehicular cabin monitoring system by adjusting aposition of display of the marker at the touch screen to accommodate thedetermined orientation of the interior rearview mirror assembly relativeto the marker.
 10. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 1,comprising a timing controller comprising at least one processingcontrol input and at least one timing control output electricallycoupled to the at least one radar transmit antenna for generating atransmit output signal utilized for transmission of the radar waves, andwherein the timing controller comprises at least one timing controlinput electrically coupled to the at least one radar receive antenna forreceiving a receive input signal representative of the radar wavesreceived by the at least one radar receive antenna.
 11. The vehicularcabin monitoring system of claim 1, comprising: a transmit radiofrequency amplifier electrically coupled to the at least one radartransmit antenna; a receive radio frequency mixer and amplifierelectrically coupled to the at least one radar receive antenna; whereinthe transmit radio frequency amplifier receives and amplifies a transmitoutput signal for the at least one radar transmit antenna; wherein thereceive radio frequency mixer and amplifier receives and amplifies theradar waves reflected off the occupant in the cabin of the vehicle; andwherein the receive radio frequency mixer and amplifier outputs areceive input signal representative of the radar waves received by theat least one radar receive antenna.
 12. The vehicular cabin monitoringsystem of claim 1, wherein the control is electrically coupled to avehicle communication bus of the vehicle.
 13. The vehicular cabinmonitoring system of claim 1, wherein the control, responsive toprocessing at the data processor of radar data captured by said radarassembly, identifies at least one marker and identifies the movement ofthe body part of the occupant in the cabin of the vehicle adjacent tothe at least one marker, and wherein the control, responsive toidentification of the at least one marker and the movement of the bodypart of the occupant, generates the control command.
 14. The vehicularcabin monitoring system of claim 13, wherein the at least one operationof the vehicle comprises at least one selected from the group consistingof (i) locking, unlocking, opening or closing a window of the vehicle,(ii) starting an engine of the vehicle, and (iii) opening a gas tank ofthe vehicle.
 15. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 13,wherein the at least one marker comprises at least one elementconstructed with radar absorption properties having enhanced radarscattering or reflectivity properties as compared to material adjacentto the at least one marker.
 16. The vehicular cabin monitoring system ofclaim 1, wherein the control, responsive to processing at the dataprocessor of radar data captured by said radar assembly, identifies themovement of the body part of the occupant in the cabin of the vehicleadjacent to a touchscreen in the cabin of the vehicle and generates thecontrol command.
 17. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 16,wherein the at least one operation of the vehicle comprises at least oneselected from the group consisting of (i) increasing volume of a headunit of the vehicle and (ii) changing a channel of a head unit of thevehicle.
 18. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 1, whereinthe control, responsive to processing at the data processor of radardata captured by said radar assembly, identifies movement of the head ofthe occupant, and wherein the control, responsive to identification ofmovement of the head of the occupant, generates the control command. 19.The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the control,responsive to processing at the data processor of radar data captured bysaid radar assembly, identifies movement of a hand of the occupant, andwherein the control, responsive to identification of movement of thehand of the occupant, generates the control command.
 20. The vehicularcabin monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the control, responsive toprocessing at the data processor of radar data captured by said radarassembly, identifies a facial feature of the occupant and identifiesmovement of the facial feature made by the occupant, and wherein thecontrol, responsive to identification of the facial feature of theoccupant and identification of movement of the facial feature made bythe occupant, generates the control command.
 21. The vehicular cabinmonitoring system of claim 20, wherein the at least one operation of thevehicle comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of (i)locking, unlocking, opening or closing a window of the vehicle, (ii)starting an engine of the vehicle, (iii) opening a gas tank of thevehicle, (iv) increasing volume of a head unit of the vehicle and (v)changing a channel of a head unit of the vehicle.
 22. The vehicularcabin monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the at least one radartransmit antenna comprises at least one focusing lens, and wherein theat least one focusing lens focuses the transmitted radar waves to aplurality of hotspot zones in the vehicle.
 23. The vehicular cabinmonitoring system of claim 1, wherein the at least one radar transmitantenna comprises at least one stepped lens, and wherein the at leastone stepped lens focuses the transmitted radar waves to a plurality ofhotspot zones in the vehicle.
 24. The vehicular cabin monitoring systemof claim 1, wherein the control, via processing at the data processor ofradar data captured by said radar assembly, identifies movement of thebody part of the occupant in the cabin of the vehicle by determiningwhether the detected movement of the body part matches a particularmovement from a stored set of movements.
 25. The vehicular cabinmonitoring system of claim 24, wherein the stored set of movementscomprises data stored in memory accessible by the control.
 26. Avehicular cabin monitoring system, the vehicular cabin monitoring systemcomprising: a radar assembly disposed in a cabin of a vehicle equippedwith the vehicular cabin monitoring system, the radar assembly operableto capture radar data; wherein the radar assembly is housed in a mirrorhead of an interior rearview mirror assembly of the vehicle; wherein theradar assembly comprises at least one radar transmit antenna that isoperable to transmit radar waves; wherein the radar assembly comprisesat least one radar receive antenna that is operable to receive radarwaves; a control comprising a data processor for processing radar datacaptured by the radar assembly; wherein the control is electricallycoupled to a vehicle communication bus of the vehicle; wherein thecontrol, via processing at the data processor of radar data captured bythe radar assembly, identifies movement of the head of an occupantpresent in the cabin of the vehicle; and wherein the control, responsiveto identifying movement of the head of the occupant in the cabin of thevehicle, generates a control command associated with at least oneoperation of the vehicle.
 27. The vehicular cabin monitoring system ofclaim 26, wherein the radar assembly is disposed behind a mirrorreflective element of the mirror head of the interior rearview mirrorassembly of the vehicle.
 28. The vehicular cabin monitoring system ofclaim 26, wherein the control, responsive to processing at the dataprocessor of radar data captured by the radar assembly, determines anorientation of the interior rearview mirror assembly relative to aninterior portion of the cabin of the vehicle.
 29. The vehicular cabinmonitoring system of claim 28, wherein the control calibrates thevehicular cabin monitoring system to accommodate the determinedorientation of the interior rearview mirror assembly relative to theinterior portion of the cabin of the vehicle.
 30. The vehicular cabinmonitoring system of claim 26, wherein the at least one operation of thevehicle comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of (i)locking, unlocking, opening or closing a window of the vehicle, (ii)starting an engine of the vehicle, and (iii) opening a gas tank of thevehicle.
 31. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 26, whereinthe at least one operation of the vehicle comprises at least oneselected from the group consisting of (i) increasing volume of a headunit of the vehicle and (ii) changing a channel of a head unit of thevehicle.
 32. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 26, whereinthe control, via processing at the data processor of radar data capturedby said radar assembly, identifies movement of the head of the occupantin the cabin of the vehicle by determining whether the movement of thehead of the occupant matches a particular head movement from a storedset of head movements.
 33. The vehicular cabin monitoring system ofclaim 32, wherein the stored set of head movements comprises data storedin memory accessible by the control.
 34. A vehicular cabin monitoringsystem, the vehicular cabin monitoring system comprising: a radarassembly disposed in a cabin of a vehicle equipped with the vehicularcabin monitoring system, the radar assembly operable to capture radardata; wherein the radar assembly is housed in a mirror head of aninterior rearview mirror assembly of the vehicle; wherein the radarassembly comprises at least one radar transmit antenna that is operableto transmit radar waves; wherein the radar assembly comprises at leastone radar receive antenna that is operable to receive radar waves; acontrol comprising a data processor for processing radar data capturedby the radar assembly; wherein the control is electrically coupled to avehicle communication bus of the vehicle; wherein the control, viaprocessing at the data processor of radar data captured by the radarassembly, identifies a facial feature of an occupant present in thecabin of the vehicle and identifies movement of the facial feature ofthe occupant; and wherein the control, responsive to identification ofthe facial feature of the occupant and identification of movement of thefacial feature made by the occupant in the cabin of the vehicle,generates a control command associated with at least one operation ofthe vehicle.
 35. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 34,wherein the radar assembly is disposed behind a mirror reflectiveelement of the mirror head of the interior rearview mirror assembly ofthe vehicle.
 36. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 34,wherein the control, responsive to processing at the data processor ofradar data captured by the radar assembly, determines an orientation ofthe interior rearview mirror assembly relative to an interior portion ofthe cabin of the vehicle.
 37. The vehicular cabin monitoring system ofclaim 36, wherein the control calibrates the vehicular cabin monitoringsystem to accommodate the determined orientation of the interiorrearview mirror assembly relative to the interior portion of the cabinof the vehicle.
 38. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 34,wherein the at least one operation of the vehicle comprises at least oneselected from the group consisting of (i) locking, unlocking, opening orclosing a window of the vehicle, (ii) starting an engine of the vehicle,and (iii) opening a gas tank of the vehicle.
 39. The vehicular cabinmonitoring system of claim 34, wherein the at least one operation of thevehicle comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of (i)increasing volume of a head unit of the vehicle and (ii) changing achannel of a head unit of the vehicle.
 40. The vehicular cabinmonitoring system of claim 34, wherein the control, via processing atthe data processor of radar data captured by said radar assembly,identifies movement of the facial feature of the occupant in the cabinof the vehicle by determining whether the movement of the facial featureof the occupant matches a particular facial feature movement from astored set of facial feature movements.
 41. The vehicular cabinmonitoring system of claim 40, wherein the stored set of facial featuremovements comprises data stored in memory accessible by the control.